NewsWhore
03-21-2011, 03:10 PM
Transport kingpins Juan Hubieres and Ramon Perez Figuereo say there is no way that conchos, or multi-fare paying taxis, in Santo Domingo and Santiago can be refitted to run on natural gas. He said that 90% of the vehicles on the roads are old and the buses run on diesel that is not compatible with natural gas.
Ramon Perez Figuereo of the CNTU said that 20,000 drivers in Santiago and Santo Domingo are enrolled in the governmental Bonogas program that subsidizes propane gas for public transport.
He said that only 10% could be converted and that vehicles that run on diesel would need a change of engine for this purpose.
Perez Figuereo is skeptical that the conversion of 20,000 vehicles mentioned by Fernandez will take place. He says that each modern natural gas station costs US$1 million, every vehicle conversion costs US$1,400 and cars need to be less than five years old.
Hubieres, who is president of Fenatrano said that there was no chance that natural gas could be used because of the age of the vehicles.
As reported in Hoy, many gas-guzzling vehicles have been converted to natural gas. The conversion kits are estimated to cost RD$60,000-RD$100,000.
But Hoy says the problem so far is availability of the gas. There are only four stations located all in Greater Santo Domingo. Hoy reports that the stations are notorious for being running out of gas, with long lines queueing up for the time-consuming (10-15 minutes) fill up. Natural gas is sold for RD$48.50 a cubic meter.
Savings are said to be 80% compared to gasoline costs. One taxi driver, Carlos Pena told Hoy he used to spend RD$2,000 every two days on gasoline, and now his consumption is RD$600-RD$700. The conversion system cost him RD$59,000. A Ford Explorer owner said he used to consume RD$1,000 per day in gasoline. It cost him RD$81,000 to convert his vehicle but now his fuel costs are RD$300 per day.
The natural gas stations are located in Punta Caucedo, Av. Maximo Gomez (opposite the Cemetery), at Las Americas Highway, and Av. John F. Kennedy (near Distribuidora Corripio). There are plans to install new stations in Santiago, La Romana, San Pedro de Macoris, Puerto Plata and San Francisco de Macoris.
The cost of installing a natural gas station is around US$1 million. Natural gas started being sold in the country in December 2003. It is estimated to be 60% cheaper than gasoline, 50% cheaper than diesel and 30% cheaper than propane gas.
There are an estimated 2.7 million vehicles in the DR, according to the Tax Department (DGII). According to Diario Libre, vehicles from 2006 or older make up 93.8% of the total number of vehicles.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#2)
Ramon Perez Figuereo of the CNTU said that 20,000 drivers in Santiago and Santo Domingo are enrolled in the governmental Bonogas program that subsidizes propane gas for public transport.
He said that only 10% could be converted and that vehicles that run on diesel would need a change of engine for this purpose.
Perez Figuereo is skeptical that the conversion of 20,000 vehicles mentioned by Fernandez will take place. He says that each modern natural gas station costs US$1 million, every vehicle conversion costs US$1,400 and cars need to be less than five years old.
Hubieres, who is president of Fenatrano said that there was no chance that natural gas could be used because of the age of the vehicles.
As reported in Hoy, many gas-guzzling vehicles have been converted to natural gas. The conversion kits are estimated to cost RD$60,000-RD$100,000.
But Hoy says the problem so far is availability of the gas. There are only four stations located all in Greater Santo Domingo. Hoy reports that the stations are notorious for being running out of gas, with long lines queueing up for the time-consuming (10-15 minutes) fill up. Natural gas is sold for RD$48.50 a cubic meter.
Savings are said to be 80% compared to gasoline costs. One taxi driver, Carlos Pena told Hoy he used to spend RD$2,000 every two days on gasoline, and now his consumption is RD$600-RD$700. The conversion system cost him RD$59,000. A Ford Explorer owner said he used to consume RD$1,000 per day in gasoline. It cost him RD$81,000 to convert his vehicle but now his fuel costs are RD$300 per day.
The natural gas stations are located in Punta Caucedo, Av. Maximo Gomez (opposite the Cemetery), at Las Americas Highway, and Av. John F. Kennedy (near Distribuidora Corripio). There are plans to install new stations in Santiago, La Romana, San Pedro de Macoris, Puerto Plata and San Francisco de Macoris.
The cost of installing a natural gas station is around US$1 million. Natural gas started being sold in the country in December 2003. It is estimated to be 60% cheaper than gasoline, 50% cheaper than diesel and 30% cheaper than propane gas.
There are an estimated 2.7 million vehicles in the DR, according to the Tax Department (DGII). According to Diario Libre, vehicles from 2006 or older make up 93.8% of the total number of vehicles.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#2)